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Band: Metatron Omega
Album title: Gnosis Dei
Release date: 14 July 2015
Label: Cryo Chamber
Tracklist:
01. Apotheosis
02. Godhead Emanation
03. Eye Of Providence
04. Ordo Craconis
05. Hierosgamos
06. Hypostasis
Metatron Omega is producer Scorpio V, the mysterious dark ambient project from Serbia. One of the newest additions to the Cryo Chamber roster, Scorpio V delves deep into Eastern/Western esoteric and religious themes. Where many of the artists on Cryo Chamber have not gone too directly into religious content with their releases, Metatron Omega gives us a very pious and meditative album. We cannot be certain of the gods but we can feel the dedication.
Gnosis Dei feels like you are attending a dark mass. You can hear a thunderstorm storm rising and falling outside, winds rushing, feet occasionally scuttling passed. Sometimes only a faint rumbling thunder is discernable in the background, at others it is in your face, and you feel as though the gods, the elements, and the congregation are syncronizing. "Godhead Emanation" is my favorite on the album, as it seems to go the deepest into these horrific soundscapes and field recordings.
Having been raised Catholic, I feel a deep connection between the flow of this album and a Sunday Catholic mass. The album crawls between vast choirs, lonely hymns, and dark sermons. We are made to feel as if we are sitting in the darkest and most dilapidated church on Earth. The album is broken into separate tracks but seems fitting to be taken as a whole. You will find many of the same themes and familiar voices, bells, choirs, recurring throughout the album. It adds to the experience of being there yourselves without becoming stagnant or boring.
The darkness of Serbia's history can't help but shine through in many artists out of this country. Here it seems that Scorpio V has harnessed some of the energy and scenery from Serbia's history and passed it on to us, the listeners, through a highly dark and religious vessel. While Metatron Omega gives us a religious experience here, it can be taken, as I'm sure it is intended, from a non-religious perspective. We feel all the gods here, but we aren't given any specific religious propoganda. The album doesn't appear to be for or against any religions, it is an ode to the experience, from a dark perspective. The dark sermon voice can be the focus of attention or ignored entirely. When the dark priest says, "This eye sees everything there is", he gives us a purposefully vague idea of religion. We are to feel the power of the gods, but which gods we have chosen is our decision.
I was already well acquainted with this album before reviewing it and I assure you it has great replay value. Many layers of fascinating synths, drones, field recordings, and dark sermons make this release a fantastic play, especially in one of its higher quality formats (it is available in mp3, FLAC, AAC, etc) on some nice headphones. A complex yet meditative album which never feels cluttered or forced. I highly recommend Gnosis Dei to any fans of dark ambient, and it has enough interesting dynamics to be a good first experience for newcomers to the genre.
Review written by: Michael
Rating: 8/10
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